Tuslaw, Fairless communities address school safety

Both Fairless Local Schools and Tuslaw Local Schools hosted meetings this week to share information with the community about resources available to students and listen to concerns.

Amy L. Knapp IndeOnline.com staff writer @aknappINDE

TUSCARAWAS TWP. Across the area, school district officials are reaching out to parents and community members seeking input on how to keep students safe and healthy.

On Wednesday, about 200 people gathered at Tuslaw High School to learn what officials have been doing and plan to do in the wake of threats and violence in schools, including an anonymous threat lodged against the school on an app last month.

Tuslaw Superintendent Melissa Marconi was grateful for the turnout and the support the district has received in the past few weeks.

"Most definitely this is not a time to isolate ourselves," she told those in attendance. "We need to come together as a community and relate to each other."

There needs to be communication, neighbors need to get to know each other and identify what the community and individual needs are, Marconi said.

The sentiments were echoed at a similar meeting at Fairless Local Schools.

At both meetings, law enforcement and district and community leaders shared resources available to students and their families, including help for mental health, financial and bullying issues.

Stark County Sheriff George Maier addressed both groups sharing that the last few weeks have been filled with anxiety and his office is working alongside school officials with available resources to address the threat to the safety of students.

The sheriff, who has taken a zero tolerance stance on students who make threats, has formed a task force made up of law enforcement officials, safety experts and school administrators to review the suggestions and concerns raised. The group will then make recommendations to address the issues.

After a presentation about the district's safety plan and other information, parents broke in to smaller groups to share their concerns and suggestions.

Many parents agreed a school resource officer was needed at Tuslaw.

Tuslaw was the only western Stark County district without an SRO. Since the threats lodged against the school on Feb. 16, a sheriff's deputy has been assigned to the district. School board members are expected Monday to approve funding the SRO through the end of the school year.

One parent pointed out if an active shooter situation occurred in the school, students would be vulnerable until law enforcement arrived.

"We need someone here all the time," the parent said. He suggested a levy specifically to fund resource officers.

Others stressed the importance of getting students and parents to understand the consequences of using social media.

Fairless community voices concerns, suggestion

Earlier this week at Fairless, officials shared information about the programs, services, staff development and other resources in place to ensure that the district is serving students in and out of school.

Superintendent Broc Bidlack said the problems facing students today are not just a school district problem.

"We are soliciting their help," he said. "We need to not isolate ourselves. We need to get to know each other in our community and know that this is a bigger problem than just what the district or law enforcement can handle."

About 125 people attended the meeting, he said, including parents and grandparents of students.

From bullying, to financial instability, mental health problems, to drug use, to events happening in their personal lives, the district and the community must "tag team to help our children feel healthier about themselves, have healthy outlooks and positive goals," he said.

Fairless will continue to provide services to help students to be whole and healthy, Bidlack said.

By addressing the various problems and issues, Bidlack believes it will help to curb other actions, including violence.

Many of the concerns and suggestions raised by Fairless parents centered around safety such as adding metal detectors and additional law enforcement presence, Bidlack said.

"I was very adamant this is not just about putting safety devices into place," the superintendent said. "We still have to work on getting to know our children's physical, emotional and psychological needs to help them be whole and healthy."

Across Stark County there are not enough outside resources to meet all of the needs, Bidlack said.

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @aknappINDE

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